


Never Come Home Again

by tptigger



Series: Kira Mercer Saga [1]
Category: Power Rangers, Power Rangers Dino Thunder
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-02-28
Updated: 2010-02-28
Packaged: 2017-10-07 15:14:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/66378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tptigger/pseuds/tptigger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kira Mercer, the Yellow Dino Thunder Ranger, comes home to find her Dad in his study with Elsa.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Never Come Home Again

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Characters and situations are the property of BVE and Village Roadshow. Some of them were once owned by Saban. No copyright infringement is intended.
> 
> Author's Notes: This is an AU story in which Kira and Trent have switched families, but everything else is pretty much the same. From a perspective of show continuity, it takes place close to Game On. Thanks to Sage Theory, Whitezeo, and Commander Crayfish for various attempts at betaing. That said, this story is either under or over beta'd, depending on who you talk to.
> 
> Yes, I know Tommy's phone number has 8 digits. That's what Ethan's organizer said in Day of the Dino. I blame Kiwi production crews. :)

Kira let herself into her house, waving at Conner. His red car pulled away, and Kira started sorting through the mail, heading to her father's study.

"Daddy, I'm ho--" Kira stopped short as she entered her Dad's office. Her father was there, sitting at his desk, just as Kira had expected. But standing over him was Elsa. Kira dropped the mail, automatically assuming a defensive stance. "Get away from my father, Elsa."

"Kira, stop that this instant," her father said. His voice was stern, but his eyes darted around the room as if he were looking for a quick escape.

Kira tried to imitate Dr. O's "leader" voice. "Dad, I need you to get up and walk away from her, now. Go call 911 from the kitchen." She hoped the police wouldn't be needed, but it would give her father something to do. *Get out of here, Dad,* Kira thought, as if she could make her Dad get away by sheer force of will.

"Kira, is this any way to treat a guest?" Her father crossed his arms, trying to glare at her, but his eyes kept darting to Elsa and the door. What was going on with him?

Elsa moved closer to her father, leaning over him. "I'm sure this has nothing to do with your time with her, Dr. Mercer."

"I said get away from him!" Kira grabbed Elsa by the shoulders, hauling her bodily away from her father, and slamming her into a wall. "Dad, run!"

Elsa shoved her off, moving in. Kira dropped into a crouch to control her fall, then foot swept Elsa, Dr. O's defensive training taking over.

"Kira this is completely unacceptable!" Her father got up, loomed over her and grabbed her by the shoulders, pulling her to her feet. "Haven't I taught you better than this?" He pulled on her arm, forcing her to face him.

Kira jerked out of his sweaty hand. "She's evil. She's here to hurt you."

"Things aren't always as they seem, Yellow Ranger," Elsa taunted.

"Aren't they?" Kira asked, crossing her arms.

"Kira, get out," her father said sternly.

"I'm not leaving you alone with her!" Kira exclaimed. This had to be a spell, a trap. Something.

Her father grabbed her arm. "I said get out, Yellow Ranger." He dragged her out of the office into the hallway, heading towards the front door. It felt like his hands were still shaking, but Kira wasn't entirely sure whether it was fear or rage.

"My... my room's the other way," Kira said. Maybe she should just get sent to her room, morph, and come as the Yellow Ranger; she could make something up about having heard that Elsa had invaded a private home on a police scanner--though it seemed like her Dad knew that she was a Ranger anyway.

So why wasn't he listening to her?

"We're not going to your room," her father growled. He opened the front door.

"Daddy?" Kira asked, her stomach wrenching.

"Get out of here, Kira," her father said. "Don't come back--and I don't want your Ranger friends sniffing around here for answers either. They're not welcome."

Kira blinked. "I'm not a Ranger," she stammered.

"Yes, you are. Go. Now." Her father's eyes grew cold.

"Perhaps she needs convincing, Dr. Mercer." Elsa brandished an energy weapon.

Kira screamed. "Daddy!"

Her father took the weapon from Elsa. "This is your last warning, Kira." He leveled the gun at her.

Kira ran. She couldn't think; she didn't have enough time to morph before her father pulled the trigger, so she did as she was told. Her backpack jostled her back as she zipped down the driveway and out the security gates. Kira followed the road by the lake, running until there was a stitch in her side, her lungs ached for air, and her legs were stiff from running too long. Then she walked, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

What she'd done wrong.

She walked so long she was no longer sure of where she was or how long she'd been walking. Only that she was out alone. At night. With no place to go. And Mesogog surely knew that by now. Elsa--possibly even her own father--would have told him. It was a spell right? Had to be.

She was lucky she hadn't been attacked by any Tyrannodrones yet--or Triptoids. There were also more pedestrian dangers, like some psycho looking to prey on unsuspecting teenagers out alone past curfew. She needed to find someplace safe. She needed to go... somewhere.

*OK,* Kira admitted to herself, *I have no idea where to go or what to do.*

She went into her backpack, in search of her cell phone. What she needed was some good advice. From someone who wouldn't panic or freak. And Dr. O might freak. Hayley. Kira could call Hayley. Hayley would know what to do.

Kira went into her address book, selecting Hayley's cell phone number. Hayley didn't have a normal phone, for reasons she refused to disclose.

"This is Hayley."

"H-Hayley, it's Kira, I..." Kira paused, unsure how to continue.

"Kira, sweetie, what's wrong?" Hayley asked.

*Sweetie?* She must've sounded worse than she thought.

"D... Dad kicked me out," Kira rushed through the sentence, before the reality of the statement could hit her. "I'm sorry to bug you but I can barely think straight and I don't know what to do and..."

"Kira, calm down," Hayley said. "I want you to take a deep breath, all right?"

Kira did as she was told.

"Her dad kicked her out." Hayley's voice was being picked up by the cell phone microphone, but it wasn't directed to Kira. Hayley was talking to someone in the background.

Great, was the whole world going to know?

"Where are you?" Hayley asked.

"Um." Kira looked around, suddenly realizing that Hayley wouldn't be able to find her without a trip to the Lab unless she could give Hayley more information than she currently possessed. She could barely make out a street sign at a corner several yards away. "Hang on, there's a cross street."

In the background, car doors slammed and an engine started.

Kira got into view of the cross street, straining to read the street sign in the dark. "I'm at Carondolet and Valencia."

"Ok, stay put. We'll be there as soon as we can."

"We?" Kira echoed, pulling up a patch of curb and hugging her legs to her chest.

Who could Hayley be with at this time of night? And how on Earth were they going to explain how a kid who played in Hayley's cafe had her cell phone number?

"You'd better say hello." Hayley's voice was in the background, and air swished in the earpiece as Hayley presumably handed the phone to someone.

"I know you're scared, Kira, but I need you to stay alert. Do you see any signs of Tyrannodrones?"

"Dr. O?" Kira asked, astounded.

"Kira," Dr. O said in his best "focus" voice.

Kira looked around. "Not that I can tell; it's really dark. Elsa was there, I think Dad might be under a spell or something." Hayley was with Dr. O? It made sense once she thought about it. After all, they'd been friends since college; they'd both moved to Reefside over the summer. Why wouldn't they hang out?

"Elsa was where? No, never mind, we'll worry about that once you're safe. Just stay focused, Kira. This is exactly the kind of thing Mesogog might decide to take advantage of. We'll be there as soon as we can."

"But..."

The line disconnected. Dr. O must've pulled the phone away from his ear before he could hear Kira's protest.

Kira pocketed her phone and scanned the area carefully. She didn't really see anything. She took another deep breath, hoping this time it would help. She just needed to hold up until Dr. O and Hayley got there so she could get out of the creepy woods and then... what?

Kira figured "we'll be right there" translated to "you can crash on my couch tonight," but... Leaves rustled behind her. Kira jumped up, spinning into a defensive stance--to find a raccoon dashing into the underbrush.

Kira took another deep breath, sitting on the curb again. She knew Dr. O was probably right about Mesogog--he did have experience with these things, after all--but his advice had probably freaked her out more than helping her.

They'd be there soon. She'd be OK. And then they'd figure out what Elsa had done to her father. How could Elsa have managed to get her dad to shoot at Kira? It didn't make sense. He'd have fought a spell, right? Maybe it had taken hold. Her father had been acting weird since they'd moved to Reefside.

A twig crackled behind her. Kira spun again--this time to find a squirrel scampering up a tree. It must've gone onto too thin a branch and fallen only to climb back up again.

Kira took another deep breath. She needed to relax. She needed to think more of the short term--where she'd be sleeping tomorrow night, for example.

A car passed her and pulled over. Kira rose, muscles taut. Car doors slammed and then there was the clicking sound of high heels on pavement. It wasn't until the figures exiting the vehicle were illuminated in the tail lights that she realized it was Dr. O's jeep. Kira relaxed, then stiffened as she realized that Hayley was wearing a black dress with a slit up the side and Dr. O had on a jacket and tie.

"I'm sorry!" Kira exclaimed, walking towards them. "I hope I wasn't interrupting anything. You didn't have to come, I just needed..."

"What were we going to do, Kira? Leave you out in the woods on you own?" Dr. O asked, his voice kind. "Don't worry about it, OK? That's what teammates are for."

Kira nodded, then shivered involuntarily. It had been a warm day, and it wasn't that cold yet, so why was she shaking?

Hayley draped an arm around her shoulders. "Come on, Kira, let's get you out of the chill."

Kira nodded, following Hayley back to the jeep--grateful that Hayley hadn't called her on the shiver.

* * *

"OK, we're here," Dr. O said a couple minutes later as they pulled into his driveway.

Kira blinked. "I... I thought we were going to Hayley's place."

"We are," Hayley said as she unbuckled her seat belt.

Dr. O exited the jeep, crossing to the other side to help Hayley out.

Kira shook her head as if to clear it. That only made sense if... Oh.

"You guys live together?" Kira asked as she hopped out of the jeep.

"Don't spread it around school, OK?" Dr. O said.

"I'm sorry, Dr. O. I don't want to get you fired or anything," Kira said. "If I'd known I wouldn't have called Hayley."

"Then I'm glad you didn't know," Dr. O and Hayley said at once.

"But..."

"Kira, the most important thing right now is that you're safe." Dr. O patted Kira's shoulder, then offered Hayley his arm. "Let me worry about Principal Randall, OK?"

"But your job..." Kira protested as Dr. O started steering her towards the house.

"We'll go talk to Vice Principal Burgess before school tomorrow," Dr. O said. "We'll just leave out the Ranger-y parts and it'll be fine."

Hayley opened the door and they entered the house.

Kira paused in the entryway. "So..."

"You should probably call your Dad, tell him where you are," Dr. O said.

"I don't think he cares," Kira said quietly.

"He might've just been angry," Dr. O said. "He could be worrying..." He caught the look on Kira's face. "Look, your Dad can't accuse us of kidnapping if he knows where you are."

"You want to cover your um..." Kira trailed off, a little uncomfortable using so much as the word "butt" in reference to her teacher.

"Yeah," Dr. O said.

Kira nodded, walking in a near dream state towards the kitchen. Hayley and Dr. O followed. Hayley guided Kira to the phone, rubbing her back encouragingly. It was only then Kira realized her knees were shaking.

She could feel Dr. O standing behind her--not close enough to touch, but close enough that, like in battle, she knew exactly where he was. It was something they'd all noticed, but no one had quite been willing to ask Dr. O about. Ethan figured it was so you always knew where your teammates were and go to help them if necessary. Conner thought it was so you knew who *not* to hit.

Kira dialed. To her relief, the voice mail picked up. "Hi," her own voice said to her, "you've reached the Mercer residence...." Kira breathed a sigh of relief, waiting for the tone. "Hi, this is Kira, if you need to reach me, I'm at 41421953." Kira hung up the phone and sat on a chair at the kitchen table.

Hayley sat down--carefully; she seemed to be having trouble moving in that dress. "Did you have dinner?"

Kira nodded. "Conner, Ethan, and I went through two extra large pizzas. I think we scared Conner's mother half to death."

Dr. O tutted as he sat, but otherwise didn't say anything.

Hayley chuckled. "She's never met Rocky DeSantos."

Kira nodded. "I... uh..." She looked from one to the other.

"You want to tell us what happened?" Dr. O asked kindly.

Kira gulped.

"I know this can't be easy for you, Kira, but I really think it will help," Dr. O said.

Kira nodded, took a deep breath, and managed to tell the story. When she was finished, Dr. O and Hayley were open mouthed with astonishment.

"That's a very bizarre reaction," Hayley said.

"I was just trying to protect him," Kira said quietly.

Hayley wrapped her arms around Kira, giving her a warm hug. "I know, I don't know why he did that to you."

"He... I embarrassed him maybe?" Kira asked, suddenly choking back tears.

"It wasn't anything you did, Kira," Dr. O said.

"Then why would.... Is it a spell? It has to be a spell right?" Kira sniffled.

"I'll have to see what I can figure out," Hayley replied, gently.

"If there wasn't a monster..." Dr. O started.

Kira stared. "You don't think it's a spell?"

"I don't know what to think," Dr. O said.

"How long?" Kira asked. "Before we know anything."

"I wish I could tell you, Kira," Dr. O said.

Memories of the few weeks she'd spent in foster care overflowed into Kira's head, and she bit back tears, trying not to blink. "What happens to me in the meantime?"

"We'll figure it out," Dr. O said. "Don't worry."

"Dad said that too," Kira said quietly, flashing back to when Anton had come to tell her about the cave in that had trapped her parents. "Look how that turned out." She was back to square one. It was as if the thread that had been holding Kira together snapped, and she couldn't keep the tears back any longer. They started steaming down her face.

"Come here," Hayley said, pulling Kira into a hug. Hayley rubbed her back, making soothing sounds in her throat.

Kira clung to her friend tightly. Between Hayley's warmth and Dr. O's soothing presence, the panic was subsiding. For now, at least, she was safe. Maybe they'd solve this tomorrow, and tonight would seem like a nightmare.

Then Dr. O suddenly dropped off her radar.

"Dr. O?" Kira sobbed, panicked.

His presence was back, the scraping of a chair indicating he was sitting down. He didn't move again until a few minutes later when Kira had finally managed to cry herself out.

"Feel better?" Dr. O offered her a tissue.

"A little." Kira accepted the tissue, her hand still shaking.

"Kira, whatever nightmare scenarios you're running through your head, stop. We're not going to let them happen," Dr. O said.

Kira nodded hollowly. She rolled up her sleeves, suddenly hot, a blush rising in her cheeks. Great, now Dr. O was going to think she was a crybaby. "Uh..."

"I should go change, run to the store. Pick you up a few things. Unless you really want to sleep in your clothes?" Dr. O asked.

Kira shook her head. "Thanks, Dr. O."

"Sit tight, OK?"

Kira nodded.

Dr. O headed in the direction of the stairs.

"Anything you need Kira, glass of water? Hot chocolate?"

Kira rolled her sleeves up further. Why was she so warm all of a sudden? "Ice water, please."

Hayley got a glass from the cupboard, filling it with ice and water from the refrigerator. "Here you go, sweetie." She sat back down, next to Kira.

"I'll be OK for a little bit, Hayley," Kira said. "I'm sure you want to get out of that dress."

Hayley stared.

Kira flushed, realizing what that must have sounded like. "I just meant I'm OK if you want to go change."

"OK," Hayley said. "Give me a holler if you need anything, OK?"

Kira nodded, sipping her water. "I'm fine."

* * *

Hayley got up to bedroom to find Tommy sitting on the bed, wearing jeans and the same pair of socks he'd been wearing to dinner. His face was buried in his hands.

"Tommy?" Hayley asked, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

"What the hell got into Anton?" he whispered.

Hayley leaned her head on his shoulder. "I don't know. I don't know how anyone could do that to Kira, she's such a sweet kid."

"I think he's working for Mesogog." Tommy sighed. He pulled his hands away from his face, wrapping an arm around Hayley and pulling her against his chest.

"You're probably right," Hayley said. "But why?"

Tommy shrugged. "Sixty-four thousand dollar question. But we have bigger fish to fry... like what to do for Kira?"

"How about we hug her really tight and tell her she can stay here as long as she wants?" Hayley suggested.

Tommy leaned his head against Hayley's. "That's what I want to do too--but I'm not sure how feasible it is, and the last thing I want to do is promise her that and then have to break it. If you put aside for the moment the whole creep factor of a young male teacher and a very vulnerable teenage girl, there's still a million things to think about--a college education, a wedding... Trent Fernandez."

"Going straight from celebrating our engagement to having a teenage daughter," Hayley added, fingering the ring Tommy had put on her finger just that evening. "Not to mention getting custody of her."

"See, I'm missing the important points all ready." Tommy planted a light kiss on her forehead. "Though I'd think we'd be preferable to a foster home, even if I am her teacher."

"At least I'm just the person who runs the coffee shop where her band plays--so I get to hug her. I'm just not so sure I'm ready to be a mom yet."

"Me too," Tommy said, forcing himself to pull away from his fiancè.

"Thanks for the support!" Hayley slid off the bed, and tried to reach around to her zipper.

"I meant I'm not sure I'm ready to be a dad," Tommy said, hugging her from behind.

"Justin might beg to differ." Hayley leaned back into his embrace for a moment, luxuriating in the feel of the exposed part of her back against his chest.

"Justin's different." Tommy kissed the top of her head again, then pulled away. He undid Hayley's zipper for her, then headed to the chest of drawers.

"Justin doesn't need to live here." Hayley shrugged off the dress, then hung it up in the closet. "You knew him longer, but is it really any different?"

"I was never his teacher." Tommy sighed, pulling out an MIT sweatshirt.

"You should get to the store before the weirdoes come out," Hayley said, patting his shoulder. "I'll see what I can do for Kira."

Tommy pulled the sweatshirt over his head. "What about..."

"We have some time to figure it out," Hayley said. "For all we know, Anton could call tomorrow and want her to come home."

Tommy nodded, stepped into his loafers, and then picked up his keys.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kira had finished her glass of ice water and gotten another. She still felt hot. Boiling. And oddly trapped.

She'd go outside for a little bit, maybe some fresh air would clear her head. She could come back in before Hayley or Dr. O even knew she was outside.

Kira turned on the lights in the backyard, went out the backdoor, and settled against a tree a few feet from the back porch.

She could always run inside if there was trouble.

Kira took a deep breath, trying to wrap her mind around what had happened.

Crying jag aside, it all felt like a bad dream.

* * *

"Where's Kira?" Tommy asked as he hung up the phone. He'd had to take a phone call right as he got in, so he was distracted until he'd finished talking.

"The backyard," Hayley said. "I tried coaxing her back in, but she said she wanted space. Dragging her in physically seemed like a bad idea. That tree is in the security perimeter, right?"

"Yeah," Tommy sighed. "Still, I don't think it's a good idea for her to be out there."

"You want to try talking to her?" Hayley asked, reaching into the refrigerator for milk.

"Yes, but I don't think it's a good idea." Tommy scrunched up his face in worry.

Hayley moved to the cabinet, taking down some mugs. "I was by the window the whole time making cocoa. Nothing happened. And I hope you bought her a sweatshirt, it's getting cold out there."

Tommy rolled his eyes, digging though his shopping bag. "I'm going, I'm going."

* * *

"I'm not ready to come in yet, OK?" Kira didn't need to even open her eyes to know that this time Dr. O had come looking for her.

"OK," Dr. O said, his voice so gentle she was almost unsure it was him. "But put this on, it's getting cold out."

Kira opened her eyes to find Dr. O handing her a yellow sweatshirt.

"I hope I guessed right on the size," Dr. O said.

She pulled it on over her t-shirt. It was a good fit. Kira closed her eyes and took a deep breath, leaning against the trunk of the tree. She could hear the dry pine needles rustle as Dr. O sat beside her.

Kira sighed, then tried more breathing. She was trying to concentrate on what she was trying to do. Not on the soothing presence of her overprotective mentor, er, teacher--one of those--sitting next to her. She tried to pretend she didn't know that Dr. O wanted her to talk to him.

"Can I at least ask what you're trying to do out here in the cold?"

Kira sighed. "Sitting in the aura of a tree."

"Huh?" Any other time, Dr. O's tone would have made her giggle. It wasn't often he was confused.

"It's from this old book I found in my Junior High school library; it's about twins with psychic powers. Something about sitting in the aura of a tree. And meditating for answers."

"That's one I haven't heard before," Dr. O mused. "It it working?"

Kira sighed, opening her eyes again, turning to face him for the first time. "Not really. It would probably help if I could remember the book."

Dr. O nodded, meeting her eyes evenly.

"It's just... It's like if I could just find the right way to plug back in... I wouldn't feel..." Kira trailed off, unable to put what she was feeling into words.

"Maybe this will help," Dr. O said. "Look up."

Kira scrunched her nose up at him, her eyes narrow.

"Trust me," Dr. O said, pointing at the horizon.

That was a hard request to ignore. Kira looked. "The big dipper?" Kira asked.

"Look at the top of the cup, the star farthest from the handle. See the blue one a bit to the right and up?"

"Yeah," Kira said, dubiously.

"That's Aquitar. That's where Billy, the first Blue Ranger I served with is."

"Why is he there?"

"He fell in love with an Aquatian."

"Ok, I've been a Ranger way too long, that doesn't sound so weird."

Dr. O scanned the horizon, then frowned.

"What?"

"I don't think Mirinoi is visible tonight." He sighed. "That's where the Lost Galaxy Rangers live now."

"Is there a point to this story?"

"That's just eight people," Dr. O said. "There's another forty or so of us here on Earth. All poised and willing to help each other at a moments notice. And not just on Ranger business. Wes Collins from Time Force called when I got in; he had a couple paleontology questions. He asked what was going on with the team--when I told him what happened tonight, he wanted to know if there was anything he could do."

"A complete stranger offered to help me? Just like that?"

Dr. O looked at her intently. "Welcome to being a Power Ranger."

The wind picked up and Kira shivered, the sweatshirt no longer enough against the hastening air.

"Let's get you inside," Dr. O said. "Last thing you need is a cold. Besides, when I came out here, Hayley was talking about making cocoa."

Kira nodded, trying to will her legs to move.

Dr. O got up, holding out a hand to help her up. Kira accepted it long enough to scramble to her feet, following him back towards the warmth of his house.

* * *

Kira sipped her cocoa hesitantly.

"She takes smoothies from me on a regular basis, but she's afraid of my ability to mix chocolate powder and milk," Hayley teased.

"No... it's just..." Kira sighed. "I'm still trying to figure out how Dad knew I was a Ranger."

"Don't worry about that tonight, Kira," Dr. O said. "It's the least of your problems."

"Aren't you worried he'll expose me?" Kira asked.

"No," Dr. O said. "If he was going to, he'd have done so by now. And with Elsa there..."

"You think he's working with Mesogog so he's about as likely to tell as we are?" Kira asked.

Dr. O nodded.

Kira gulped. "How long will it take to figure out if it's a spell?"

"I just don't know," Dr. O said.

Kira nodded, having to accept that for the time being. Then she yawned.

"Maybe we should get you settled in the guest room," Hayley said.

"Can you take care of that, Hales? There's something I want to take care of downstairs," Dr. O said.

"Sure." Hayley frowned.

Kira had the nasty feeling there was something they weren't telling her.

Dr. O worked the model dinosaur skeleton and descended into the lab.

"Come on, Kira," Hayley said, placing a guiding hand on her shoulder, "let's get you settled in."

* * *

Conner and Ethan sat on a bench behind the school parking lot. They had their notes spread out, trying to make it look like they were just engaged in an early morning study session.

Really, they were stalking Dr. Oliver. Conner had tried to call Kira first thing that morning to ask her a lingering history question--only Dr. Mercer had answered the phone and summarily informed him that Kira didn't live there anymore.

Kira's cell phone was going straight to voicemail, and both Conner and Ethan feared it was still in that house.

They were worried, they didn't know how to reach Kira or if she was OK. Dr. Oliver had threatened them within an inch of their lives the previous week for coordinating a trip to go see a movie via the comm system, so they were loathe to use them for anything other than Ranger business--though if Dr. O didn't show up soon, they might try anyway.

They could, of course, call Dr. Oliver and see if he knew anything, but they were concerned that Principal Randall would somehow find out and this would get Dr. O in trouble. Hayley's cell phone was going straight to voice mail as well.

Ethan tapped Conner's shoulder. "There he is."

They slammed their notebooks closed as Dr. O's jeep pulled into a space. They ran to the driver's side.

"Look, Conner, Ethan, this isn't the best time," Dr. O said as he stepped out of the jeep.

"Kira's in trouble," Ethan blurted.

"I tried to call her this morning and Dr. Mercer told me she doesn't live there anymore," Conner added.

"Her cell's going straight to voice mail too," Ethan added.

"Can't a girl turn off her cell phone without her friends freaking out?" Kira asked from behind them, glaring at her friends with her arms crossed.

"Kira!" Conner exclaimed, putting an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close.

"You OK? Do you have somewhere to stay?" Ethan asked, putting an arm around her so that Kira was between he and Conner, their sides lined up.

Kira nodded. "I uh, crashed at Hayley's. How'd you..."

"I tried to call you this morning," Conner said. "Your Dad told me not to call you there again, basically. We totally freaked out when we couldn't find you."

"There something wrong with the comm system that Hayley should be checking out?" Dr. O asked. "Do I have a problem with my home phone that I'm not aware of?"

Conner and Ethan stared.

"Ranger business..." Conner stammered.

"Dr. Randall," Ethan added.

Dr. O sighed heavily. "OK, I have the three of you together, so now's as good a time as any. If one of you is in trouble, _you call me_. I don't care if you use the phone, the morphers, smoke signals or take out a billboard on Main Street. The most important thing is keeping the the team _safe_. Let me worry about my job. And if it comes to that, our cover."

Conner and Ethan stared.

"Trust me on this one, guys, he means it," Kira said quietly.

Ethan looked from Kira to Dr. O and back again--synapses firing. "What aren't you telling us?"

"Nothing." Kira stared at the ground.

"You're a bad liar, Kira," Conner said.

"D-drop it," Kira stammered, "please?"

"Is everything OK, Kira?" Conner added. He glanced at Dr. O. Why was he looking so concerned?

"She's just covering for me," Dr. O said quietly. "Hayley's place is also my place. We're engaged. You three are the only ones who know, and if it gets around school, you'll all be cleaning the raptor rider pens."

Ethan and Conner raised their eyebrows in surprise.

"I hate to break this up," Dr. O said, sounding as if he didn't really hate it at all, "but Kira and I need to go talk to Vice Principal Burgess now. I do _like_ this job."

The boys dropped their arms to their sides, letting Kira go.

"See you later, Kira," Ethan said.

"Yeah, see you," Conner added.

Kira and Dr. O headed inside.

"You a little jealous?" Conner asked Ethan.

"Kira'd trade with us in a heart beat," Ethan said. "We graduate in nine months, then he's not our teacher anymore. She doesn't get her Dad back--I don't think. And just 'cause she stayed with Dr. O last night doesn't mean..."

"Her Dad's not taking her back, dude," Conner said. "You didn't hear him this morning. You really think Dr. O and Hayley are going to let her go into foster care?"

"Mercer doesn't have any family?" Ethan asked. "There must be someone."

"There's Kira's friend back in Silver Hills, but I get the feeling her friend's mom couldn't afford another kid. And if Mercer has any other family, Kira's never met them." Conner frowned, then brightened. "Isn't this Mercer's day in the city?"

"Afternoon, actually," Ethan said. "Kira says he leaves around two, doesn't get home 'til about six."

"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?" Conner asked.

"I think so, Brain, but how are we going to get out of training?" Ethan asked. "I should be Brain. Wait, *you* watched Pinky and the Brain?"

"Eric loved Animaniacs in elementary school," Conner explained. "And do you think we're going to have training today? Kira looks barely ready to tackle *school*. And Dr. O's the only one who teaches 12th grade science first period--Kira's schedule's going to have to go upside down and backwards."

"Assuming they change it based solely on her spending one night at his place--not that it matters much," Ethan said. "Assuming we don't have training, and our assumption that Kira's going to be staying at Dr. O's after today..."

"All that Kira has left of her biological parents is in that house," Conner pointed out. "No matter where she goes, she's going to want that."

"Right," Ethan agreed. "Besides, I'm sure Dr. O will let her stash some stuff at his place until Kira gets settled somewhere else if it comes to that. Meet here after school, wheels?

"You got it, brains," Conner replied.

"OK, we've got half an hour before school starts, now what?" Ethan asked.

Conner opened his notebook. "I'm worrying about the history mid-term, you suit yourself."

* * *

"I can't believe you told them," Kira said as she and Dr. O entered the school.

"The last thing you need right now is to keep secrets from them," Dr. O said.

Kira stopped and stared at him. "Really?"

"That's my story and I'm sticking to it," Dr. O said, turning down the corridor towards the office.

Kira took a deep breath.

"*You're* not going to be in trouble, Kira, I promise," Dr. O said.

Kira nodded, following him into the office.

The receptionist handed Dr. O an envelope. "A courier dropped these off for you a couple of minutes ago."

"Thanks, Mandi. Is Dr. Burgess in?"

"She should be soon," Mandi replied.

Dr. Oliver opened the envelope. His jaw dropped.

"D... Dr. Oliver?" Kira stammered.

"Don't tell me Kira's getting into trouble?" Dr. Burgess asked as she entered the reception area.

"Can we talk in your office?" Dr. O replied.

Dr. Burgess nodded, and the three of them adjourned to the office.

Kira sat apprehensively.

"What's going on?" Dr. Burgess asked.

"Well it's like this," Dr. O said, squeezing Kira's shoulder reassuringly.

* * *

"They're custody papers?" Kira asked, as soon as they left Dr. Burgess's office. "Are they like temporary custody or..."

"I don't know, Kira," Dr. O said. "We're going to have to take them to a family practice lawyer and sort it out from there. Which means I'm going to have to find one."

"Conner's Dad," Kira said instantly.

"OK," Dr. O said, "let's go find Conner."

* * *

Kira went out to the courtyard with the lunch that Hayley had placed into her hands that morning, unsure of what to do. Ethan and Conner waved at her from underneath a tree. Alone.

She just hoped she wasn't in for a hell of a grilling.

"Hey guys," Kira said, trying to muster a bit of good cheer as she sat down.

"You don't have to pretend with us, Kira," Ethan said gently.

"Yeah," Conner added. "It's OK. By the way, I bumped into Dr. O in the hallway, you're supposed to meet with my dad after school."

Kira nodded. "I can't believe Dad just dropped custody papers off at the front office. I mean, what am I a car?"

"Don't worry, Kira," Conner said quietly. "Dad's a good lawyer, if your dad's been half as thorough as he usually is, my dad should be able to get the adoption petition filed, no problem."

"I _hate_ family court." Kira frowned, gritting her teeth.

Conner gave Kira a quick hug. "I don't think Hayley and Dr. O are going to have as much trouble as your dad did."

Kira nodded sagely, sitting quietly and watching Conner and Ethan eat for a couple of minutes.

"You should eat something, Kira," Ethan wheedled. "Unless you want Dr. O to give you another nutrition lecture."

"I'm probably going to be getting a lot of them." Kira sighed, finally opening her lunch bag. She rolled her eyes. "What, am I twelve?" She pulled out a turkey sandwich with the crusts cut off, carrot and celery sticks, pretzels, and an apple.

"It's better than this slop." Ethan pushed around the limp green beans of his school lunch.

"Point taken," Kira said. "Just remind me to make my own lunch on Monday." She took a bite of her sandwich, then made a face.

"You OK, Kira?" Conner asked.

"It's just dry; I'm going to get a juice out of the machine. You guys want anything?" Kira asked.

"Nah," Conner said.

"I'm all set," Ethan added, holding up two chocolate milks.

Kira extracted some money from her backpack. "Can you guys keep an eye on this?" She indicated her backpack.

"Sure," they said in unison.

The moment Kira disappeared around the corner, Conner unzipped the front pocket of her backpack. He unclipped her key ring from the key clip.

"Wow, lots of keys there," Ethan said sarcastically, indicating the two keys.

"I know she just had her Dad's and Dr. O's keys, so..." Conner compared one of the two keys on Kira's key ring to one on his own. "OK, not Dr. O's place. Must be it. Should I pull it off her key chain?"

"I doubt she'll need Dr. O's key today," Ethan pointed out. "They're going straight from here to your Dad's--so she probably won't even miss it."

"Good point," Conner said. He clipped the key ring to the key holder in his own backpack and zipped Kira's closed.

"Here she comes," Ethan said.

"Thanks, guys." Kira took a sip of her apple juice as she sat down. "Did I miss anything?"

* * *

"You guys don't have to do this, you know," Kira said as Hayley climbed into the jeep after school.

"Do what?" Dr. O asked.

"Adopt me just 'cause Dad sent over a bunch of papers," Kira said.

Dr. O turned around to look at her. "Kira, is that why you think we're doing this?"

"Isn't it?" Kira asked. "It's like they showed up and poof! You've barely had time to think about this."

Dr. O and Hayley exchanged glances.

"So what does it mean that she's saying the same stuff we said over the phone earlier?" Dr. O asked.

Hayley shrugged.

Dr. O turned back to Kira. "Look, Kira, our first instincts last night were to tell you that you were home now, give you big hugs and somehow make everything OK. And if there's one thing I've learned as a Ranger, it's to trust my instincts.

"This is civilian life, Dr. O."

"Tommy."

Kira stared.

"Kira, we're about to go to a lawyer and file papers that basically make you a part of my family. Don't you think calling me 'Dr. O' is a little formal?"

"I guess." Kira stared at her hands.

Dr. O sighed and pulled the jeep out of the alleyway behind the cyberspace and into traffic.

* * *

"You OK?" Dr. O asked as they got out of the car in the parking lot of Mr. McKnight's office building.

"Fine," Kira said, trying to sound confident. "I just have pretty bad memories of places like this."

Hayley gave Kira a warm hug. "This isn't going to be as hard--there's two of us, and the last person to have custody of you signed off on it."

"I guess," Kira said, looking at the ground as Hayley pulled away.

Dr. O glanced at Hayley, then looked at Kira. "What is it?"

Kira shrugged, staring at the ground.

Dr. O touched her chin. "Look at me."

Kira looked up.

Dr. O looked her in the eye. "Kira, if there's some other reason you think we shouldn't adopt you, now's the time to speak up."

Kira shrugged again.

"Kira is this what you want?" Dr. O asked kindly, squeezing her shoulder. "To come live with us, I mean?"

"Does it matter?" Kira replied.

Dr. O squeezed her shoulder again. "What you want matters, Kira."

"I want my daddy," Kira whispered.

Hayley hugged her again. "I wish we could get him to take you back, but it's not going to work out that way, Kira."

Kira nodded grimly.

"Is there someone else..." Dr. O started.

Kira shook her head.

"Look, Kira, if you're that uncomfortable..." Hayley started.

"I just..." Kira looked at Dr. O. "Are you sure, Dr. O?"

"Tommy."

"Really sure?" Kira continued as if she hadn't been corrected. "I mean, you just don't seem thrilled..."

Dr. O wrapped an arm around Kira's shoulders. "I'm sorry, Kira. It's not that I mean to be distant, but male teacher, vulnerable female student... you have to know how that could look."

"You'd never hurt me!" Kira exclaimed, as if the very idea were foreign to her.

"You know that, I know that..."

"I get it," Kira interrupted.

"And?" Dr. O prompted.

"Don't you think we should get in there, Dr. O?"

"Tommy," he corrected again.

Kira flushed.

"It's OK," Dr--Tommy said. "It's a hard habit to break."

* * *

"Are we sure this is a good idea?" Ethan asked as he and Conner drove to the Mercer Estate.

"Dude, how else are we going to get Kira's stuff?" Conner tapped the steering wheel with his fingers.

"Have her ask for it?" Ethan suggested, shaking his head as though he thought it was obvious.

"Dude, do you really think that's going to work?" Conner asked.

"Well, no, but it can't get us arrested for breaking and entering," Ethan pointed out.

"Who's breaking and entering? We've got a key."

"Trespassing and larceny?" Ethan amended.

"It's Kira's stuff," Conner insisted. "We're just picking it up for her."

"You can feed that story to the cops," Ethan said.

"We're not going to get caught," Conner said confidently.

"I'm just not sure who's going to be madder if we do. Our folks or Dr. O..." Ethan trailed off as they reached the security gates.

On the public side of the fence was a pile of boxes. It was hard to tell what they contained, but there was a guitar case on top of the pile that was unmistakable. It was covered in stickers of various sorts and descriptions, many of them yellow.

"Or possibly Goodwill," Ethan finished.

Conner pulled his car up to the curb, put it in park, and turned on the emergency signals. "Dude, he threw out Kira's stuff?" Conner unbuckled his seat belt.

Ethan did likewise and reached around to unlock the back seat. "Let's not look a gift horse in the mouth, OK?

Conner got out and surveyed the pile. "How many trips do you think we'll have time for?"

"Don't know," Ethan said. "We should try to prioritize."

Conner nodded, and opened the back seat. He pulled it down so that the trunk went straight to the back of the front seat. "OK, so guitar first. Then what?"

Ethan handed Conner the guitar. "Let's see what's in these."

Conner put the guitar in the front for the time being and opened a box. "This one," Conner said definitively, wrinkling his nose at the contents.

"What's in there?" Ethan asked.

"Photos, photo albums, and this guy." Conner held up a very shabby looking stuffed animal.

"Is it just me or is that a Pterodactyl?" Ethan asked.

Conner studied it critically. "I think so. It might even have been yellow at some point." He gingerly put the stuffed toy back in the box and loaded it into the car.

"What was it Dr. O was saying about Rangers and destiny?" Ethan opened another box. "CDs."

"Load it," Conner said.

They spent a few more minutes loading up the car.

"Three trips total, if we get that much time," Conner estimated.

"Let's get this stuff back to Dr. O's," Ethan said.

They got back in the car.

"She's probably gonna get to call him 'Tommy' now," Conner mused as they sped towards Valencia drive.

"I know it's going to be kind of weird for us, but think how it's going to be for Kira," Ethan said.

"So what's our excuse this time?" Conner asked, changing the subject. It was becoming a habit to make sure they had a cover story in case they showed up when Dr. O had company.

"I think our excuse is 'we're dropping off Kira's stuff,'" Ethan said. "I think we just found an upside."

"Huh?" Conner asked.

"No more cover stories to go to Dr. O's for training," Ethan explained. "If someone's there, we just say we're looking for Kira."

"Dude, we can leave our folks the number, even," Conner said.

"Yeah, things are looking up."

They pulled into Dr. O's driveway. There was a black van parked in the driveway with silver wings painted on the side.

"Silver Guardians?" Ethan read off the license plate frame. "What are those?"

Conner parked. "Do they realize Dr. O isn't home?"

"What do we do with Kira's stuff? It's not like we can explain our copies of Dr. O's house key. Er, Dr. O and Hayley's house key," Ethan corrected absently.

"Leave it on the porch?" Conner asked. "We can ask them to watch it while we make another trip."

"Assuming we can trust them," Ethan pointed out.

"Uh, yeah."

He and Ethan got out of the car. They found two men about Dr. O's age sitting on the bench, both wearing navy jumpsuits of some kind. One wore a red beret, the other a red shirt under a black jacket.

Ethan gaped, suddenly recognizing one of them. "You're Eric, aren't you?"

The man with the black hat stood. "Eric Myers. Are you two Ethan and Conner?"

They exchanged glances. Dr. O kept in touch with former Rangers that weren't even on his team?

"Yeah," Conner said.

"Wesley Collins, but call me Wes." The man wearing the red beret stood. "Red Time Force Ranger. Is that Kira's stuff in the back seat?"

Conner stared.

"I know the basics," Wes said. "Though how you got her stuff..."

"It's sitting on the curb by her house." Conner hoped no one would ask why he and Ethan happened by. "Well, her old house I guess." He unlocked the front door. These guys obviously knew who they were; there was no reason to hide that he had the key.

"There's more there, so we're going to stash it and make another trip; two if we have time," Ethan added. "I'm not sure if Dr. O would want us to let you in..."

"Why don't we bring the van and get the rest of Kira's stuff?" Wes suggested. "They should be back from the lawyer's by then."

"OK." Conner unlocked the trunk.

Wes and Eric followed he and Ethan, clearly deciding to help with the unloading process as well.

"So what brings you two to Reefside?" Ethan asked as he picked up a box.

"Business," Eric said tersely.

"What sort of business?" Conner asked.

"The city wanted to hear a proposal about opening a second branch of the Silver Guardians here. Someone to back up the Rangers in a crisis--apparently there's some concern about your ability to battle the bad guys and keep civilians out of harm's way." Wes hefted a box of books with a grunt.

"We do OK," Conner said defensively.

"You do really well," Eric said. "But you're two Rangers short. Most teams have six."

"Dr. O thinks there's at least one more Dino Gem out there," Ethan said as he walked through the door that Eric was holding open. "It'll turn up when we need it."

* * *

"That's the last of it," Wes said as they unloaded the last box into Dr. O's living room.

"Maybe we should put some of this stuff downstairs in the lab," Conner mused.

"Then we'd just have to haul it up to the second floor," Ethan said. "I wish we knew which room they had her in. We could get all this stuff out of the way."

"Probably one of the guest rooms," Wes mused. "I doubt Tommy would give away Justin's room."

"Justin?" Conner asked.

"The Blue Turbo Ranger," Eric replied. "It's kind of a long story."

"O-kay," Conner said, drawing out the word dubiously.

A motor cut out in the driveway.

"Kept them long enough, Dad," Conner muttered.

"Their lawyer is your dad?" Eric asked.

"Yeah. So?" Conner rolled his eyes.

Eric shook his head. "Ranger teams."

Ethan looked from Eric to Wes in confusion.

"Eric took awhile to learn how to play well with others," Wes explained.

Ethan raised an eyebrow.

"I can't believe he's making you guys sign a prenup!" Kira exclaimed as she walked in with Dr. O and Hayley.

"Don't worry about it Kira, it was something we were going to do anyway," Hayley said.

"Yeah, we had this friend in college who nearly had to drop out because of getting caught in the middle of her parents' divorce," Dr. O added. He stopped as he found the large pile of boxes, his teammates, and the Silver Guardians wedged into his living room. "Conner? Do you have any idea where all this stuff came from?"

"It seems Dr. Mercer was either making a large contribution to either Goodwill or the city dump," Conner said.

"Only it wasn't his stuff to give away," Ethan added.

Kira's eyes lit up as she scanned the room. "My guitar!" She ran and picked up the case, hugging it.

"We had our priorities straight," Ethan muttered to Conner.

Dr. O glared at them, then turned to Wes and Eric. "I appreciate the prompt response, Wes, but it's not a matter of life and death or anything."

"We were in town anyway," Wes said. "And given your message, it sounded like it should be soon--so why make two trips?"

"Point taken," Dr. O allowed. "Would you mind helping Hayley and Kira get Kira's stuff up to her room? I need to have a little chat with Ethan and Conner.

The boys exchanged glances. That didn't sound good.

"No problem, Tommy," Wes said.

Hayley, Eric, and Wes each picked up a box. Kira picked up her guitar and led the way upstairs.

Dr. O herded Ethan and Conner down to the lab. He crossed his arms and glared. "Are you two *crazy*?"

"Look, Dr. O..."

"Save it, Ethan," their teacher snapped. "There's no way you two knew Kira's stuff was out at the curb. I don't know how you were planning to get it..."

"We sort of lifted her key at lunch," Conner said.

"Yeah, this is her dad's day in the city, so one was going to be home," Ethan added. "Kira's lost enough without losing all her stuff too."

"We could've found another way to get it back," Dr. O said. "You two didn't need to risk being destroyed..."

"Whoa, hold it," Conner said. "Her dad might've been angry, but the worst that could've happened... What?"

Dr. O was staring at Conner like he might look at someone who would suggest he burn all his black clothes. Then he paled. "Kira didn't tell you?"

"Tell us what?" Ethan asked.

"Elsa was there when she got home last night," Dr. O said. "She seemed pretty friendly with Dr. Mercer."

"You're saying Kira's dad is working for Mesogog?" Conner asked.

Dr. O swallowed. "It certainly looks that way."

"Just what Kira needs," Ethan muttered.

"Look, I think..."

"We should let Kira talk about it on her own time?" Conner asked.

"Don't interrupt," Dr. O scolded. "But exactly."

"Sorry, Dr. O," Ethan said.

"We didn't mean to scare you," Conner added.

Dr. O opened his mouth as if to deny it. He closed it again, then said, "Just don't do anything that risky again, OK?"

Ethan and Conner nodded.

"Let's help with the lifting."

* * *

"I still can't believe how thorough this guy was," Wes said after the waiter at Ciatti's had taken their order.

"That's my dad." Kira shrugged. "He doesn't leave room for error."

"You'd be surprised," Dr. O said gruffly, thinking of several failed experiments.

"It's just... OK, somehow he figures out that Kira went to you and Hayley for help and gets the adoption papers drawn up..."

"He got my message and got his lawyer out of bed," Kira explained. "It wouldn't be the first time."

"But having the foresight to know how long he could keep you on his medical insurance? To get the paperwork to transfer custodian ship of your accounts to someone else? And to insist it not be Hayley or Tommy?"

"You're saying he was planning this?" Kira stirred her drink, apparently fascinated by the way the straw kicked up the bubbles.

"I'm just saying it's weird, is all," Wes aid. "I mean..."

Eric made a kill notion, nodding at Kira.

One hand was stirring her Coke vigorously, the other hand was tapping a fast, tuneless rhythm on the table.

Dr. O placed his hand over Kira's to steady it. "I told you all that caffeine would make you jumpy."

Kira ignored the comment, jerking her hand away. "Or it wasn't a spell," Kira said quietly.

"What Wes is saying, Kira, is that your dad seems to have gone out of his way to make this transition as smooth as possible." Dr. O patted her back awkwardly.

"I don't know what's going on with him, Kira," Wes added, "but it's clear that he's gone to an awful lot of trouble to make sure you'd be safe and able to go to college."

"Wouldn't surprise me if he knew Conner and Ethan were going to go after her stuff and left it out for them," Eric put in.

"How?" Hayley asked.

"Good question," Dr. O said, frowning. "Maybe... I don't know. It's almost as if he somehow got entangled in everything against his will. I'm not sure where Mesogog came from, but everything else is our discarded work."

"If it were a spell, wouldn't he be trying to take me to Mesogog?" Kira wondered.

"Probably," Dr. O said. "It seems like he's doing his best to keep you safe."

"Shouldn't that be reassuring?" Kira asked, shaking a bit.

Hayley wrapped an arm around Kira's shoulders, squeezing Kira against her. "You're safe now, you're with us."

Kira leaned into the one armed hug, yawning tiredly.

"I know it's been a long day, Kira, but it's almost over." Tommy patted her shoulder more confidently.

Kira nodded absently.

* * *

2 AM

Kira was convinced the clock was mocking her. No matter what she did, she couldn't get comfortable or just plain wouldn't sleep. The fact that her brain was still trying to puzzle out her father's actions the night before didn't help matters any. Kira sighed, climbed out of bed, and headed to the bathroom.

When she got out, she wasn't paying very close attention to where she was going--just to the general direction of the guest--er, her room. As such, she didn't notice the vaguely human shape until she bumped right into it.

"Oof! Kira, be careful," Dr. O scolded.

"Sorry. Did I wake you?" Kira asked quietly.

"No," Dr. O said reassuringly. "I turned over and heard you wandering around."

"I didn't mean to disturb you," Kira said, staring at the floor.

Dr. O put a hand on Kira's shoulder, rubbing it gently. "Stop apologizing, Kira. I told you before that I want you to be here. I'm just concerned that you're still up."

"I can't sleep," Kira said miserably. Her words came out in a run-together torrent. "I get hot, so I take off the blanket, then I get cold. I try to read for awhile, but I can't keep my eyes open. I turn off the light and close my eyes and if I'm not getting uncomfortable I keep thinking about Dad and..."

"Take it easy." Dr. O wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "You're working yourself up."

"Easy for you to say," Kira muttered. "I didn't sleep too well last night either."

Dr. O considered her for a moment. "Let's find you a lighter blanket, OK? Sometimes I think Hayley's cold blooded, the way she bundles up." He opened a door and turned on a light.

Kira gaped. "Wow! A technicolor linen closet."

Dr. O shrugged. "You have enough former Ranger guests, and you have to be prepared."

The sheets and towels came in every Ranger color--at least the non-metallic ones.

Kira noticed a slight--skewing--of what could only be guest linens. "Think you have enough blue sheets?"

"If Rocky or Billy comes to visit while Justin's home, we need that many," Dr. O said.

"Who's Justin? He lives here? Where is he?" Kira asked.

"The Blue Turbo Ranger, that's his room, and graduate school in Mariner Bay," Dr. O replied with a shrug, indicating a room barely lit by the light from the linen closet.

Kira could make out something that might be a martial arts poster and a shadow that looked suspiciously like a telescope.

"Okay..." Kira had a feeling she'd get no more information from her mentor--guardian tonight.

"Come on," Dr. O said. He placed a hand on her shoulder and guided her back to the guest room.

They exchanged the heavy yellow comforter for the lighter blanket.

Then Dr. O pulled back the covers. Kira looked at him curiously but scrambled into the bed. Dr. O pulled up the chair from the desk.

Kira scrunched up her face at him, still sitting up. "I'm OK. You don't have to make a big fuss."

He gave her a light hug. "It's OK, Kira. Tell me about it."

"About what?"

"Whatever's got your mind racing."

Kira shrugged. "Just... I don't know." She pulled Terri into a tight hug.

"Who's your buddy?" Dr. O asked, brushing a tuft of hair out of her eyes. He squinted at the stuffed animal for a moment. "Is that a Pterodactyl?"

Kira nodded. "She was yellow; her name's Terri. My parents gave her to me when... um... I used to know that! I did!"

Dr. O smiled. "It's OK."

They sat in silence for a moment.

"I just... don't know how to feel," Kira said. "I'm not sure if I should be upset or angry or scared...."

"Upset *and* angry would certainly be reasonable under the circumstances," Dr. O said, "but why are you scared?"

Kira looked at the covers.

"You can tell me anything, Kira, I won't be mad," Dr. O said gently.

This was the Dr. O from the backyard last night. The calm harbor in the midst of the storm.

"I... I'm in this strange place with these strange people and... not that you and Hayley are strangers, but I don't really know you and I'm not in the actual house that much, just the lab and..."

"It's OK, Kira. This is a big change. And a teacher-student relationship is just about the polar opposite of what we need to have now."

Kira nodded.

"We'll manage it, Kira. It's just going to take a little work."

"I don't know how!" Kira blurted, "I don't even know where to start."

"You start by opening up, like you just did," Dr. O said. "And by asking questions."

"Like what, Dr. O?"

"Tommy." He hugged her again.

Kira raised an eyebrow.

"I figure the quickest way to remind you that I'm not your teacher anymore is to do something distinctly not-teacher-y."

Kira nodded, unconvinced.

"Seriously, Kira, ask me anything."

Kira tried to sort through her questions, most of them were the kind Dr.--Tommy wouldn't have answers to. Except... "How come Justin has a room here?"

Tommy grinned. "You would ask for the long story."

"The cliff notes version is fine."

"His Dad passed away a few years ago, when Justin was still a minor--a year or so into grad school. There were plenty of people willing to take him in, but no one in Mariner Bay. Justin filed for emancipation so he could stay in school..."

"Then why..."

Tommy mussed Kira's hair. "The judge thought it would be good for Justin to have a place with someone he could call home--he had just lost his dad. So he only granted the petition if Justin had a room somewhere with someone he trusted. I offered, Justin accepted."

"How old is Justin?" Kira asked.

"Nineteen."

"So you moved when he wasn't a minor anymore but he still has a room here?"

"Justin will always have a room here. And so will you."

Kira yawned.

"Lie down," Tommy said gently.

Kira did, still feeling rather tense and out of sorts. Though she did find Tommy's promise of a permanent room rather comforting.

Tommy brought the covers up to her chin, smoothing them out.

"Tell me a something else," Kira blurted.

Tommy raised his eyebrows at her.

"Just... something about you that doesn't have to do with zords, morphers, or dinosaur bones. Maybe something that happened with Justin? Or in college... About you and Hayley, just... something," Kira said. She didn't care what he talked about, really, she just didn't want him to go just yet.

Tommy nodded, paused for a moment, and started telling her a story about he and Hayley traveling to Europe for a summer while they were in college. Kira just let his voice wash over her and wrap around her, like a blanket on a cool night. She tried not to yawn again, gradually giving responsibility for the support of her body weight to the mattress and pillow.

The last thing she remembered was Tommy telling her about a time they had to transfer three times to get on the right train in the London Underground.

* * *

"So then we finally get to the station and try to leave and Hayley's ticket won't get her through the turnstiles and..." Tommy paused for a moment, realizing Kira hadn't said a word or reacted to anything in awhile. "Kira?"

No response.

Tommy smiled, Kira had finally managed to fall asleep. "Sweet dreams." He straightened the covers over her, though they didn't really need it, his hands lingering on the blanket. Tommy hesitated for a moment, then reminding himself he was no longer Kira's teacher, placed a brotherly kiss on her forehead. Once he was assured Kira was warm enough, Tommy turned out the lights and closed the door behind him.

The End


End file.
